


Summoning Xellos

by chrissy_sky



Category: Slayers (anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-28 16:45:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/309927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrissy_sky/pseuds/chrissy_sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wizard Zelgadis summons a demon. He doesn't get what he's expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summoning Xellos

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Springkink 2009. (I think.) The "graphic violence" is actually me being safe about the random deer slaughter in the beginning. I generally do not write Zel and Xellos as having a dark relationship. (If you're into that - I'm not going to apologize, just stating fact.)
> 
> When I saw the prompt, immediately a strange amalgamation of Howl’s Moving Castle, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Slayers began to form. It was fun, but it kinda just kept going. Looking back, I'm amazed I wrote something this long!

The mountains to the North of Seyruun were cold this time of year, and the gusty wind threatened to knock him over the higher he climbed into this country. Green was slowly giving way to browns and reds as the seasons changed, bringing with it an early chill.

 

Zelgadis’ bow was half his height and he crouched down with it, hidden by bushes, waiting long enough that his legs were starting to go stiff. The leaf covered ground was uncomfortably cold against his backside, yet there he remained. Any discomfort he felt now would be worth it if he was successful.

 

As a wizard of the old ways, he often had to participate in gruesome rituals, and had learned to harden his heart during these occasions. So as the deer came into his sights, he felt nothing as he drew the bow back silently, aimed, and released the arrow. The arrow flew through the trees and struck its target down.

 

Zelgadis stood gratefully, stretching, working the kinks out of his back. Only when he felt he could move easily again did he approach his kill, grimacing at the sight. It wasn’t the act of hunting he was against – he wouldn’t be eating this fine creature. He would need it for far more nefarious purposes.

 

The wizard lifted up the still warm carcass, the act made easier with his enhanced body, and carried it over to place on the back of the horse he had brought with him. Taking the horse by its reigns, he led the patient creature up the path through the dark woods. He certainly couldn’t ride the horse, not with his weight.

 

The day grew darker as night fell, and Zelgadis paused long enough to pull a torch from his packs to light his way. His thoughts turned just as brooding as the darkness around him, and he pondered the reason why he was out here in the first place.

 

It was just after his parents died that that man had appeared. The Red Wizard, who was treated the world over as a saint, took Zelgadis in and gave him a home after bandits had mercilessly stolen his family from him. The wizard, who Zel eventually discovered was truly his grandfather, trained him in the ancient magicks, and gave the young man a purpose in life. He thought he would be content if only he could serve Rezo forever.

 

Then the bastard had revealed the true purpose of his keeping Zelgadis around for so long – to use him in one of his experiments on the pretense of helping Zel get stronger. Dark magicks had torn him apart, ripping his very soul to shreds, and put him back together again as a stone-skinned, horrific monster. He might have been able to bear the changes, as he became a better wizard, as well as having increased speed and agility, if he hadn’t discovered his grandfather performing the same experiments again in order to regain his sight.

 

Feeling used and betrayed, he’d gone to Seyruun, hiding his condition as much as he could, to continue his studies, hoping to find a way to reverse what the bastard had done to him.

 

Now, he was ready. Rezo had summoned a demon to be his familiar and his power had been increased. Zelgadis would now do the same. He had left his comfortable home in town and came out into the chilly wilderness to do just that.

 

The cave was freezing when he arrived, tying his horse up outside and carrying the deer in with him. He got the fire lit first, and that helped the cold, if not his mood. Opening the grimoire, he glanced over the directions one more before getting to work. Zelgadis lit the candles, burned the incense, and placed the scrying mirror where he could reach it easily. Then he removed his clothes and proceeded with the nastiest part of the summoning – preparing the remains.

 

Every part of the deer was used. First the dead beast was skinned for its fur, which Zel did heartlessly with a hooked dagger. Cleaning most, but not all, of the blood off, he set the skins aside and began extracting the bones, setting organs aside into bowls and placing them strategically around the room. By then his work space was a crime scene of blood and guts, and he knew he truly looked like a monster. He avoided looking in the scrying mirror at all.

 

The bones were sewn into the skins with stones and feathers that had been collected from the forest earlier. Then the skins were shaped into makeshift clothing – a loincloth, a jerkin where most of the bones and feathers were located, and a cap on which the antlers had been attached to. Before putting any of these on, however, he painted the summoning runes onto every inch of his hard, ugly stone body with deer blood.

 

The air of his cave now filled with the stomach-churning stench of gore and smoke, Zelgadis drank the last of the blood and began chanting.

 

Due to the nature of the summoning spell, his mind began to wander as he lost his center. His lips, thankfully, continued moving on instinct, chanting almost absently. He stood and swayed, dancing and gyrating awkwardly in the space around the fire. It was called the dance of the spirits, and like the chanting, it was meant to draw the demon’s interest.

 

 _The demon!_ Zelgadis realized too late that he had forgot to put a picture in his mind of what the demon he was summoning would look like. He had meant to summon one of the higher demons, and had needed to keep their names firmly in his mind, but his mind had wandered all day back to his bastard grandfather.

 

To purple hair and a mysterious smile.

 

A bright light flashed in his eyes, blinding him, and the surge of power that erupted in the room sent him to the floor. The scrying mirror cracked, breaking into three pieces as the demon landed on it. Zelgadis scrambled away from the figure and activated the binding spells that would keep the demon where he stood.

 

He looked up at last and saw what his demon looked like. It definitely was not one of the higher plane demons he had wanted to call to the human realm. It looked like a human in shape, which meant the demon was indeed very powerful, but the robes he wore were vaguely priestly. His hair was a bright purple and his lips were stretched into a mysterious smile.

 

Zelgadis cursed at his mistake. He had called on a demon that resembled his grandfather!

 

There were plenty of differences, on the brighter side. The demon, though male, did not look exactly like Rezo. He was younger and not as tall, and almost femininely beautiful. His eyes purple eyes were open, and he inspected Zelgadis openly with a cunning stare.

 

“You called?” asked the demon, almost impishly.

 

Zelgadis swallowed and willed himself not to blush. “I request the name of the great one before me,” he managed as politely as possible. All of the texts he had read on summoning demons stressed politeness in the first encounter.

 

“Xellos,” answered the demon readily, tilting his head in an adorable fashion. His hair, which swayed with the movement, was cut short in a priestly crop. “I was once a god in the ancient days before man, I think, but I cannot remember what I was god of anymore. I suppose I wasn’t very popular!”

 

Zelgadis blinked, staring openly. No wonder he did not recognize this demon. He would need to be even more cautious, dealing with a demon that had no record of being summoned before. It either meant that no one had managed to conjure this demon, or that Xellos had killed every wizard that had summoned him. “I am known as Zelgadis Greywords.”

 

“What is your proposal, Zelgadis-san?” Xellos asked, crouching elegantly on the ground near were Zelgadis sat.

 

He forced his mind to focus on the matter at had, and not how enticing the demon was. “I was placed under a curse to live out the rest of my days as a chimera.”

 

Xellos hummed and inspected Zel’s body. The fur did nothing to hide his condition, he knew. “Oh my. Yes, that’s an interesting curse indeed.”

 

His face turned redder under those curious eyes. “I want you to be my familiar so that I may grow stronger and break the curse.”

 

“I see.” Xellos tilted his head the other way this time, eyes growing even craftier. “What do you offer in return, Zelgadis-san?”

 

This he had been prepared for. All demons had once been elder gods that had been cast out of the heavens when the present gods conquered over them. One did not just summon them without a plan, or one would be forfeiting their life. “I have little in earthly possessions that would be attractive to you. I’m known to the Seyruun royalty, but I have no say in the government. So…” Zel had to pause here, steeling his anxious nerves, “… I offer you my innocence.”

 

“You have very little of that left to offer,” Xellos pointed out, amused.

 

“My purity,” Zelgadis clarified irritably.

 

“Purity?”

 

“Virginity!” the young man snapped.

 

Xellos’ sparkling eyes came alive with eagerness. “My! A wizard’s virginity is truly a gift, and you’re a highly enticing specimen. I would hardly mind sharing a bed with you.” Zelgadis blushed brightly at that, but didn’t have time to disagree as Xellos continued with a sly look. “Although that would be but one moment—however grand a moment it would be—and then I would be bound to you for the rest of your days. As a wizard, your life is meant to be a long one; you could even discover the Philosopher’s Stone and live forever! That’s hardly a fair price, my dear Zelgadis-san.”

 

Zelgadis grew flustered at the endearment and the flirting. He hadn’t planned on the demon haggling on the price! A wizard’s virginity was an incredibly high price as the purity was worked into his magic. It was a part of his soul he would be giving to the demon, and it wasn’t enough? “But…”

 

Xellos shook his head. “No buts, Zelgadis-san. If you want something long-term from me, I need something equal in order to balance it out.”

 

“Then…” Zelgadis trailed off, knowing his face so red it was nearly purple. “Then I offer something long-term in exchange.”

 

“Oh? What would that be?”

 

The chimera gulped thickly. “My future, my freedom. I offer it in exchange for yours.”

 

Xellos raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “You would become my slave once the contract was over?”

 

“What?” Zelgadis balked. “No! That’s not what I meant!”

 

“Then say what you mean, Zelgadis-san,” Xellos giggled.

 

Zelgadis sighed, thinking it over carefully. “I mean to say… that I offer my body to you, for sex, for as long as we are bound together. I will never bed another. I will never marry.” It was embarrassing to say out loud. He was hardly a gentleman, but there were just things one did not say in public.

 

The eager expression was back on the demon’s face in an instant, and Zel knew he said the right thing. “My! It seems you’re a virgin in more ways than one. Am I your first summoning as well?”

 

Zelgadis flushed, forgetting all pretence of politeness. “Shut up!”

 

“To clarify,” Xellos continued as if not hearing him, “you offer yourself as a lover while I work in service for you? You’ll never seek out the company of another?”

 

Zelgadis nodded, still embarrassed, and his words burst out through clenched teeth. “Yes. You’re to be my servant and help me look for my cure. You will not poison my mind with falsehoods or try to kill me. Besides, other than the unique tastes of a certain demon, people aren’t too eager to be with me.”

 

“You are too hard on yourself,” Xellos said, almost frowning. “You’re quite stunning, Zelgadis-san.”

 

The young wizard flushed. “There’s no need to butter me up with false platitudes. Are we in agreement?” he demanded, holding out his hand.

 

Xellos sighed deeply, though Zel had no idea why he looked so bothered. “We are,” he said, taking the wizard’s hand.

 

The contract sealed, a delicate golden collar appeared around Xellos’ pale neck. A slender gold chain connected it to a similar gold bracelet on Zelgadis’ wrist.

 

Zelgadis exhaled slowly. So they were bound together for the rest of his life, which was now extended by demonic powers. Even when he did find his cure, he could not find a happy ending. He supposed that he just wasn’t meant for happiness.

 

At least Xellos was incredibly attractive, a part of his mind couldn’t help but remind him.

 

Already he felt much more powerful. The tiredness he had felt from the summoning did not weigh on him quite as heavily, though he would still give his virginity twice over in order to crawl into his bed back in Seyruun – alone. This was all just so embarrassing.

 

“Yare yare,” Xellos murmured, eyeing him with something like concern. “My master looks very tired. I should take him home… Unless we live in this cave?” He said “cave” the same way some people might say “horse excrement”. Granted, with the rotting remains of the deer, it wasn’t highly attractive at the moment.

 

Zelgadis shook his head. “No, we live in town.” He flushed at the _we_ but didn’t take it back. “Turn around so I can get dressed.”

 

Xellos smirked, eyeing him outright again. “I’ll be seeing you soon enough.”

 

“Turn around,” he growled as calmly as he could.

 

The annoying demon shrugged and turned obediently. “As my master wishes.”

 

Quickly, Zelgadis threw off the deer skin and cleaned off the blood as well as he could. It would still stain his clothes when he dressed, but he had no means to clean properly at the moment.

 

As soon as he was dressed, he tried to walk toward Xellos, who was still turned away, but teetered as his exhaustion returned full force. He nearly fell into the still-burning fire, but Xellos was suddenly there, keeping him on his feet with demonic strength.

 

“This won’t do at all,” the demon murmured and Zelgadis found himself being carried on Xellos’ back out of the cave. “You’ll need to tell me the way, master.”

 

Zelgadis managed a nod and murmured the occasional direction into Xellos’ ear, moving in and out of consciousness along the way. Xellos carried him while leading his horse out of the forest and through the moonlit covered valley road that led to Seyruun. He wasn’t sure how they got past the guards at the gate, but Xellos must have been convincingly harmless as they got into the city.

 

Nor did he remember directing Xellos to his house, but he must have managed it, as the next thing he was aware of was the demon tucking him into his bed and starting a fire in the hearth.

 

Zelgadis blinked at him sleepily, noting that the chain extended to allow Xellos to move freely around the room. Then he flushed – this was the first time anyone else had been in his bedroom.

 

Xellos smiled at him as he stood. “You should sleep.”

 

“But, the price…” Zel struggled to say. His mind was clouded and sluggish, craving more sleep.

 

The beautiful demon giggled. “You’re hardly in a condition for that, my master. Sleep now.”

 

Relieved, Zelgadis gave up the battle to stay awake and fell asleep.

 

-

 

The next morning he woke to a loud pounding and thought at first that it was only in his head. But the pounding continued, and there was a familiar voice yelling from outside to go along with it.

 

“Yo, Zel! Open up! I’ve got a message from the palace. You okay in there? Zel, I’m going to break the door down if you don’t answer! Zel!”

 

Zelgadis groaned and tried to get out of bed. A hand suddenly placed itself on his shoulder, staying him. Looking up, he saw Xellos, and the previous night’s events came rushing back. He blushed.

 

“Should I let him in?” his familiar asked.

 

Zelgadis nodded. “Yeah. It’s one of the king’s knights. He’s okay.”

 

“Alright.” Xellos left his room, the chain clanking softly on the ground, growing longer and longer as the demon walked downstairs.

 

He heard the front door open and Xellos’ quiet voice speaking to the knight, though he could not make out what was said. After a time, Xellos returned. He had a steaming cup of coffee with him, which he handed to Zelgadis.

 

Surprised, and grateful, he accepted the cup, muttering his thanks as he took a sip. “What’s the king want?”

 

Xellos shifted the books out of his desk chair and sat down, folding his hands in his lap. His gestures were so human that Zelgadis strove to remind himself what Xellos really was. “King Philionel has requested your presence today at the palace. Apparently there is going to be some sort of celebration and as one of the court wizards, you’re to provide entertainment.”

 

Zelgadis grimaced. “Damn. I forgot all about Amelia’s birthday.”

 

“Amelia?”

 

“The king’s daughter,” he answered absently, finishing his coffee. Standing, he saw what a terrible shape his normal robes were really in, as were his sheets. He cursed some more and pulled open his closet, searching for robes and a hood suitable to be seen in at the palace.

 

“A princess, huh?” Xellos whispered and when Zelgadis looked back at him, he saw that there was a steely edge to the demon’s smile.

 

The wizard raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. So what?”

 

“You were asked for specifically,” his familiar said with almost stressed casualness. Xellos was plainly angry and trying to hide it.

 

Zelgadis shrugged. “They know me. I’m not a charlatan who lights a few fireworks and balances a few mirrors then calls it magic. What are you so angry about?”

 

“I only wish to remind you of your agreement, master,” said the demon.

 

Blushing, Zelgadis had to look away from those gleaming eyes, and he turned back to the closet. “And I’ll honor it. But what’s that got to do with going to the palace?” Zelgadis blinked as something ridiculous occurred to him, so ridiculous he spoke it out loud. “Unless… Are you _jealous_?”

 

“No, of course not,” Xellos answered, a little too quickly.

 

Zelgadis shrugged mentally and dropped it. Who was he to question the strangeness of his familiar, anyway? He didn’t need to get to know him, he just needed his help to find his cure. _And to have sex with,_ that annoying part of his mind reminded. It was starting to sound like the demon.

 

“I need to clean up,” Zelgadis muttered, pulling out a suitable outfit and hanging it on the closet door.

 

Xellos stood. “Shall I draw a bath for you?” For the moment, his anger seemed to have vanished.

 

Zelgadis choked. “No, that won’t be necessary. Thanks,” he added lamely.

 

His familiar smiled and his eyes shining with playfulness. “Oh? I suppose that would be best. You have to go to the palace, after all. But if not for that, I would be only too eager to take a _long, relaxing_ bath with my dear master.” Xellos’ voice lowered as he spoke, coming out in a faint, sexy growl.

 

Zelgadis shivered and looked away, clearing his throat. “Another time perhaps.”

 

“Hm, perhaps.”

 

“If Gourry’s still here, have him buy you something suitable to wear for the party. Whatever you want.”

 

“Why, thank you, master. That’s very thoughtful.” Xellos giggled. “I would go with him if not for the chain. Even if it stretched that far, it would be quite a sight to be seen trailing behind me as we went to the market.”

 

Zelgadis blushed at the image. “Yeah.” He rushed into the bathroom and locked the door, leaning against it as he gathered his wits, wondering exactly what he had gotten himself into. Xellos seemed harmless enough, and it figured that the only person who would find him attractive like this was a demon. But there was something about that feminine, otherworldly beauty that made Zel very nervous. The sensation wasn’t all that dissimilar to the crush he had had on Rezo, if he were perfectly honest with himself. But he wasn’t, so he pushed the thought viciously from his mind.

 

He shed his clothes and climbed into the tub once it was full. It was a heavy cast iron thing in order to support his substantial weight. Zelgadis washed the blood off and soaked until the water turned pink, letting the warmth of the water seep through the rock skin and into his bones. His hair, made of thin wires, did not need to be washed. Stubble did not grow on his face so he did not need to ever shave. All he had to do was dry off and dress.

 

Having left the clothes in his bedroom, he peeked out first to be sure Xellos wasn’t still hanging around before daring to step out. He noticed immediately that the bed sheets had been changed, and he didn’t know what to think about a demon acting as his maid. He was even making coffee for him. His house wasn’t in the best of conditions; perhaps he should put Xellos to work fixing it up too?

 

Donning the robes – an inconspicuous off-white much like his soiled clothes from last night – Zelgadis walked downstairs just as the Seyruun knight returned carrying a brown paper bag.

 

Zelgadis smiled faintly. Gourry was a good man and never commented on his condition negatively, more than once going to bat for him among the royals. He tentatively thought of the knight as a friend. “Hey. Pick out Xellos’ clothes alright?” The familiar was not in sight, but the chain trailed off into the kitchen where he must have gone.

 

Gourry nodded and handed him the package. “Yeah. It’s a bit busy out there right now, but it wasn’t any trouble.” The blond shifted uncomfortably. He was in full armor today for the ceremonies, and the Sword of Light, a legendary Gabriev family heirloom, was as usual strapped to his side. “You know, Zel… If you’d wanted to be with someone, there’s plenty of people who would, even though you’re different.”

 

The wizard stared at him, confused. “Huh?”

 

Gourry flushed and shifted some more. “I mean, Xellos. He’s a slave, right?”

 

“Oh. Ohhh.” Zelgadis flushed even brighter than the knight. “No no no, he’s my demon familiar.” He told Gourry what had happened the night before, deciding to leave out that sex had been part of the bargain, even if the man had been partly right about it. “It might be best if we let everyone think he’s a slave though. Just—not _that_ kind of slave.”

 

The knight nodded readily. “Good idea. Phil and Amelia wouldn’t be happy about you having a demon or a sex slave.”

 

Wanting to change the subject, Zelgadis looked down at the bag in his hands. “What did you get him?” he asked. He saw a bit of dark purple fabric before the sack was quickly taken from him.

 

Xellos waved his finger. “Naughty master. No peeking before the party.”

 

Zelgadis raised a stone eyebrow. “What’s the difference? I’m going to see you anyway.”

 

“Timing, my dear.” Xellos flashed an impish smile. “I’m going to change. It won’t take long.” He walked up the short flight of stairs. “May I borrow one of your cloaks?”

 

“Sure.” Zelgadis and Gourry shared a shrug, Xellos’ lighthearted behavior a mystery to them both.

 

“He seems different for a demon,” Gourry commented. “Not evil.”

 

“He doesn’t remember what he was god of in the ancient times,” Zelgadis told him. “That might have something to do with it.”

 

“Ah.”

 

When Xellos returned, draped in one of Zel’s black hooded cloaks, they finally left. It took longer than usual because of the crowded streets of celebrating masses, and then they had to wait in line once they arrived at the palace. There were many official guests to the party and each one had to be individually announced to the king and princess. Some were even from neighboring countries, Zelgadis noted with some amusement as he spotted the scantily-clad Princess Martina.

 

As a knight, Gourry was allowed to go in through another entrance, and he got to avoid the line altogether.

 

Xellos’ chain could not be hidden, unfortunately, and it dangled in the short distance between them. Zelgadis became increasingly self-conscious about it the more time passed, because he knew what everyone who saw them must have thought. At least slaves were not unheard of in the white magic capital of the world. He just had to make sure that he wasn’t caught mistreating Xellos in any way, as Seyruun was firm on slaves’ rights. Considering how annoying Xellos was, he would have to keep his cool in public and not let himself get too irritated.

 

Finally, they were allowed in, and Zelgadis tried not to squirm at the attention they got as they walked into the large, pillared room. All of the guests were dressed far better than he, with his plain robes and hooded mask that hid all but his eyes, and the other wizards sneered at him. Striving to ignore them all, Zelgadis strode to tall chairs that Phil and Amelia were seated.

 

Amelia, a bit short for her age but already quite voluptuous, wore a pink dress that far outshone those of her lady guests. She rose and greeted him warmly, taking his hands into her small, delicate ones. “Zelgadis-san! Thank you for coming.”

 

Zelgadis nodded uncomfortably. He noted that beside him, Xellos was giving the petite princess a hard stare. “Ah, it was no trouble.”

 

“Who is this?” Amelia asked politely, turning her attention to Xellos. The man at the door had not announced his name.

 

Xellos smiled, but that strange aggression was still there, and he answered before Zel could. “I am Zelgadis-san’s slave.”

 

Amelia eyed the chain with some puzzlement. “I did not know you approved of slavery, Zelgadis-san!” She seemed to disapprove of him suddenly which made Zel even more uncomfortable.

 

“I needed help around the house while I continue my studies, that’s all,” Zelgadis told her quickly. “Sometimes I even forget to eat.”

 

“Yes,” Xellos murmured, “he’s quite hopeless.”

 

Zelgadis glared at him irritably, which only earned another smile from his familiar.

 

“Oh.” This seemed to appease the girl somewhat. “But you could’ve hired a servant! Or even asked me for help. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

 

The grip on his hands tightened, and if he weren’t a chimera, Zelgadis knew it would hurt. “As her highness wishes. I just decided this was the best course for the time being. Servants sometimes steal, and I hate to inconvenience anyone when I don’t need to. Xellos is reliable enough.” At least he made good coffee.

 

“Oh…” Amelia pouted and finally let go of his hands, much to his relief. He could feel eyes watching their exchange and wanted nothing more than to find wherever Gourry had wandered off to.

 

“What magical feat will you be performing for us this time, Zelgadis-san?” King Philionel asked. He was a big, burly man, fitting the image of a troll or mercenary than a peace-loving king. Since his childhood, he had been the disappointment to the expectations of many ladies all across the land. Though he had eventually found a princess who saw him for the good man that he was, she had died in the birth of the king’s second daughter. After her death, the eldest princess had taken it hard and she disappeared. No one had heard of her since, though the king continued the search, ever hopeful.

 

Zelgadis hesitated, then smirked at Xellos. “Actually, my slave will be performing for us tonight, your majesty.”

 

Xellos’ eyes widened. “And what shall I be doing, master?”

 

“Anything, just as long as it’s entertaining,” Zelgadis said, thinking that he could get a little payback on the demon as well as take attention off of himself for awhile.

 

But he quickly realized his mistake in another moment. Xellos shrugged and unfastened the cloak, tossing the black material carelessly at Zel. The wizard stared blatantly at his outfit – it was a dark violet material that he assumed was silk and though it covered Xellos’ frame completely, it did it in a way to accentuate his frame in an altogether inappropriate way.  Somehow, the color did not clash with the demon’s eyes and hair.

 

Xellos leaned down suddenly and kissed his cheek before pushing him toward the throne. “Go on, master. Step aside and let me entertain.”

 

Blushing, Zelgadis gulped and did as he was told, ignoring how his heart fluttered from the chaste kiss. He went to stand beside Amelia, the chain stretching between he and his familiar on the floor, and watched Xellos waved at the band to start playing. They played uncertainly at first, their eyes on Xellos’ movements, but quickly found the appropriate rhythm.

 

“How… talented,” Amelia murmured.

 

Zelgadis nodded mutely, unable to look away. Xellos’ movements had the graceful effortlessness of a gypsy girl who had been dancing for years. His dance was playful and he knew how to move every part of his body to bring out his natural appeal.

 

If he had been human, Zelgadis would have fallen for him on the spot. As it was, he wasn’t far from it. Even if they had not been under a contract, he would have wanted to bed his familiar anyway. His body burned with the desire and he strove to keep it under control.

 

Dimly, he knew Amelia kept trying to get his attention, but he was mesmerized. The song ended and the princess firmly called for another wizard to perform.

 

Xellos walked over to him, smiling coyly, letting Zelgadis know he knew exactly the effect his dance had had on him. He took the cloak from the wizard’s numb hands and wrapped himself back up in it. “How was I, master?”

 

“Uh…” Zelgadis searched his mind hard for an appropriate word. “Words cannot properly describe.”

 

Fleetingly, there was a look of startled apprehension on Xellos’ face. The demon ducked his head quickly. “I am… glad to be of service.”

 

Zelgadis blinked, not sure how his reply had gotten such a reaction. He firmly drew the familiar away by the arm and eventually they found Gourry.

 

The knight stood by a window with another knight, his rival Zangulus who insisted on wearing his tattered, brimmed hat everywhere. Both men were grinning.

 

“Quite a show,” Zangulus murmured.

 

Gourry shook his head in puzzlement. “If half the girls I knew could dance like that...”

 

“… You wouldn’t be a pure knight anymore!” Zangulus finished for him, chortling.

 

Gourry flushed and kicked his fellow’s ankle. “Don’t start.”

 

Zelgadis exchanged an amused look with Xellos over the two knights’ antics, though the wizard quickly looked away, feeling shy.

 

They stayed with the two knights for a few hours longer, thankfully avoiding Amelia in their corner of the room when the princess sought a dance partner. The dancing, however, was held only after the banquet, and Zelgadis was not as lucky in avoiding Xellos’ fans. Quite a few made rather forward overtures for the familiar’s time, from both women and men, and for some reason it made Zel very angry. Not out of jealousy, but possessiveness.

 

But Xellos turned every one of them down, and it occurred to Zelgadis that though he had promised himself only to the familiar, Xellos had not. He could have gone with any of them (stretched chain and all), but he didn’t.

 

They left only when it was polite to do so, which was very late into the evening. Zelgadis fell asleep immediately upon their return, and only dimly remembered Xellos tucking him into bed again.

 

-

 

Lina Inverse’s shop was well known for having bizarre and unique magical objects that the young lady herself had gathered in her travels. She had also gotten into lots of troubles during said travels, and if not for the fact that she was a close friend of Amelia, the witch would have gotten herself arrested more than once.

 

The peculiar girl did have some interesting artifacts that Zelgadis often found useful though. So the day after the party, when he got word from his sources that the witch had returned to Seyruun again, he took Xellos to her shop. (His “sources” being Gourry, who heard from Amelia, when Lina showed up asking for money. Not that he would tell Xellos that.)

 

“It seems the princess likes your appearance quite a bit,” Xellos said neutrally on the way.

 

Zelgadis frowned, remembering the night before, and what he would continue to think of as Xellos’ jealousy. “It seems the princess has strange tastes. Like you,” he added bravely.

 

Xellos didn’t argue with that. “You have quite a narrow worldview.”

 

“That happens when you're stuck in caves covered in deer skin and body paint,” the wizard grumbled bitterly.

 

“My. Perhaps if you'd gone out into the world you wouldn't have found the need to summon me.”

 

Irritated, Zelgadis proceeded to ignore him for the rest of the walk. The chain seemed to clink more noisily than before to fill the silence.

 

As they walked into the shop, he could see immediately that the artifacts that filled the space from floor to ceiling immediately caught Xellos’ interest. He started to wander off.

 

Zel tugged on the chain. “Oi. Stick close.”

 

Xellos raised a fine eyebrow. “So possessive already?”

 

He flushed brightly. “No!”

 

“You don’t sound too convincing, master.” With a smile and a wink, Xellos sauntered off, leaving Zelgadis steaming in his wake.

 

Someone giggled behind him and turning, he saw the shopkeeper-adventurer herself. Her demon familiar perched on her shoulder like a morbid parrot. “You don’t have much control over your familiar, do you?” Lina teased. She had told him he should summon one and so she wasn’t surprised to see Xellos.

 

Zelgadis felt his eye twitch angrily. “It’s none of your business.”

 

Pokota, her familiar, snickered. “Xellos is willful and stubborn, like you. I’m not surprised that he’s the one you got.”

 

Xellos poked his head from around a shelf, his smile threatening. “And you, Pokota-san, have never been exceptionally intelligent. What does that say about your master?”

 

“Oi!” The plush-toy like demon flew at Xellos, attacking with his large fluffy ears, but Xellos gripped his forehead and held Pokota back. “Don’t put me in the same category as her!”

 

“I should be saying that!” Lina yelled, tugging on the chain attached to Pokota’s neck. It was much like Xellos’, though thicker. Though it was any heavier than the thin one bonding Xellos and Zelgadis together, it didn’t seem to slow Pokota down at all.

 

-

 

Lina ended up throwing them out as Xellos had continued to antagonize Pokota, causing some damage as the smaller demon went after him. Zelgadis had not gotten to inspect the artifact he had gone for and so was highly irritated. He tugged Xellos all the way home by his wrist, ignoring how soft the demon’s skin felt and how he pouted at the rough grip.

 

He all but threw Xellos into his house and slammed the door. “Damn it, you’re supposed to help me!”

 

Xellos casually smoothed down his hair and smirked at him. “Are you going to punish me now, master?”

 

His tone and the implication sent a shiver up Zel’s spine. “Be serious. I needed to see that artifact!”

 

“Which one?”

 

“It was a little maiden figurine,” Zel replied absently, “said to have unusual powers.”

 

“Oh, that old thing.” The demon ran a finger over one of the dust-covered windows, wiping some of it off and leaving a somewhat clean streak in the path his finger traveled. “I saw it.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“As you said, its powers are unusual.”

 

Zelgadis sighed, then eyed Xellos’ finger thoughtfully as he wiped the dust off on another borrowed cloak. His house was comfortable though fairly unlived in. Before the night of the summoning, he hadn’t even slept in his bed in months. Normally he fell asleep working at the desk in his study. There was little furniture in the sitting area for someone to actually sit on, and what pieces Zelgadis did own were occupied with books, scrolls, and various tools the wizard used in his research. The kitchen wasn’t used for much cooking, as Zelgadis didn’t need to eat much, so the dust had begun to gather in there as well. Cobwebs lined the ceiling in all rooms and rodents had taken up permanent residence in the cellar.

 

It wasn’t a home more than it was a storage space for all of Zelgadis’ junk. He had very that physically tied him to the place and it wasn’t how he had ever expected his first home to look.

 

Now, however, the mess could serve a purpose.

 

“Actually, punishment would be a good idea,” he said with a smirk.

 

Xellos looked back at him, brightening. “Shall I get some rope so you can tie me to the bed?”

 

Zelgadis flushed. “No. You’d enjoy that too much, I think.”

 

The demon pouted kissable lips, cute and seductive. “I can pretend not to.”

 

He shivered, the desire he remembered from watching Xellos’ dance returning full force. He struggled to keep control of it. “Instead, I want you to clean my house. Top to bottom.”

 

Xellos’ eyebrow lifted elegantly a second time that day. “You’d rather me clean than fuck me? You’re an unusual young man, master.”

 

“Just do it!” Zelgadis nearly yelled, flustered.

 

Xellos shrugged and began rolling up his sleeves, every movement made with his usual gracefulness. “As you wish, master. But remember that you must still fulfill your end of the bargain eventually.”

 

“I know that.” Zelgadis turned and fled into his study before he had made the foolish decision of letting his control slip and take the demon up on his offer.

 

-

 

Xellos had known this chimera wizard would be trouble the moment he saw him.

 

Normally he allowed himself to be summoned by the occasional desperate teenager who foolishly sought the help of the dark arts. He would appear before them and let them talk—because in the end that’s all the troubled young people wanted. They hadn’t really needed magic, just someone who would listen. But teenagers, Xellos had learned, always felt their problems were the end of the world, and their pain was exquisite.

 

It was never long-term. The contracts with them ended within a few days usually.

 

But Zelgadis, who had just passed through the doorway to adulthood, was a few years late for that melodrama. Yet Xellos had been drawn to his suffering and need regardless. It was the sweetest of songs along the dark void, and he had listened with the other demons, waiting for a name to be called for. But no name had been called. Only an image that vaguely resembled him, so Xellos had stepped eagerly through the portal to the human world.

 

Those blue eyes that had known too much pain caught him, his whole world coming to surround this moment, this human.

 

Love at first sight was an absurd notion. Lust at first sight, perhaps, but lust and love were different things (though they did often go hand in hand). Xellos had felt a strange sense of euphoric lust, so strong that he had felt compelled to want a long term contract. He had wanted it to be mutually exclusive.

 

He wanted the wizard.

 

It wasn’t any one thing that spurred the attraction or the almost immediate sense of possessiveness. There was just something about the disfigured young man that stirred something impossible in his black heart.

 

Perhaps he _was_ jealous of the princess. Mostly he was irritated with himself for not taking what was rightfully his immediately. Even as Zelgadis kept making excuses, Xellos let him and thought of a few of his own. At first it was because his new master was tired and needed Xellos to take care of him. Then the party. Then he needed to go to Lina Inverse’s shop before she disappeared again.

 

It was irrational and his demonic sensibilities kept telling him it was pointless. Wasn’t it? He wondered this as he cleaned their living room without enthusiasm.

 

Xellos had made a pretty good start of it, but there was a stifling cloud of dust in the air that caused him to open a few windows. He looked out of one in time to see the Seyruun princess approaching the meager little dwelling. Her steps were quite confident in her sensible boots.

 

She flashed a polite smile when she saw him leaning out the window. “Hello, ah, Xellos-san, was it?”

 

Xellos smiled in return. “Good afternoon, your highness.”

 

She flushed and a real, shy smile crossed her features. “Oh please, Amelia is fine.”

 

“Amelia-san.” Xellos crossed over to the door and let her inside. “Please come in. Zelgadis-san is busy at the moment, but if you need to speak to him…”

 

“Oh.” She was clearly disappointed. “No, I wouldn’t want to bother him. Actually, I decided to help! I’m going to cure Zelgadis-san with the power of my love!”

 

From the study, he heard a distinct thump, as though a book had fallen to the floor, and knew Zelgadis was listening in.

 

A wickedly amusing idea formed quickly in his mind.

 

“Are you cleaning, Xellos-san?” the cheerful princess asked, looking around.

 

He knew Zelgadis wouldn’t approve. But that was part of what made it amusing.

 

“Oh, yes,” Xellos answered, putting on a troubled expression. “But I’m afraid I’m not doing a very good job of it. Zelgadis-san _so_ wanted the house to be cleaned…”

 

Amelia brightened immediately. “I could help!”

 

“My!” Xellos clapped his hands together. “That would be wonderful, Amelia-san.”

 

There was another thump from the study and a muffled groan. Amelia missed both these noises entirely and, rolling up her sleeves, tying back her hair, and tying on an apron, she got to work. Xellos stood to one side and watched.

 

The spiders tried to scurry to safety, but Amelia smote them like a vengeful god with her broom. Dust was swept out the front door with surprising effectiveness. The books were put on shelves or at very least into neat piles. She moved through the kitchen with similar determination, then upstairs.

 

It was only after she had disappeared upstairs that Zelgadis poked his head cautiously out of his study. He glared sourly at Xellos. “Why are you making her clean?” the wizard hissed.

 

“Why, master!” Xellos whispered back, feigning innocence. “She volunteered! And she so wants to do something for you. Such a determined young woman. How could I possibly stop her?”

 

Zelgadis snorted, leaning against the doorjamb and crossing his arms. “You tricked her.”

 

Xellos’ smile twisted into a more natural, devilish smirk. “Well, all’s fair in love and war, as they say.”

 

The wizard stared at him. “That would imply that… you love me…” His blue stone skin seemed to turn a bit pale.

 

Xellos shrugged uncaringly. “Can a demon love?” he asked evasively.

 

Zelgadis frowned, confused, and seemed to let it pass.

 

The movements upstairs continued. Suddenly, Amelia squeaked. “Oh, oh my…” She said, probably assuming that they could not hear her. “Zelgadis-san’s room…”

 

Zelgadis choked. “She’s going to clean my room!”

 

“Why so embarrassed?” Xellos asked coyly. “It’s not like we’ve fucked yet.”

 

The wizard choked again, blushing brightly and glaring harder at him.

 

Xellos giggled and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving him be for the moment. “I’ll fix you some coffee.”

 

“You’re lucky you make good coffee,” he heard grumbled behind him.

 

Xellos just giggled more, putting the water on to boil.

 

Amelia hung around their home regularly after that day. Xellos supposed he should be grateful, since it was far easier to breathe in the house with all the dust gone. The girl wasn’t even that hard to be around. Her cheerful optimism almost seemed to brighten up the room, and it was obvious to him now that Zelgadis only felt a familial connection to her. But she was just another excuse that kept him from having his evil, wicked ways with his wizard.

 

He took his frustration out on the princess in innocent ways, he felt. The occasional prank certainly didn’t harm her. Such as the toad that appeared in her cup of tea one morning, or another time when he’d animated a skeleton in one of the closets and had it dance around the house.

 

Amelia was not impressed by magically appearing reptiles or bones performing epic musical numbers though. Xellos was beginning to think she suspected the pranks for what they were, especially when he heard a crash in Zelgadis’ study about a week later.

 

Xellos rushed in to see what was wrong and stood in shock by what he saw.

 

Zelgadis lay flailing and gurgling on the floor as Amelia straddled him, her mouth pressed firmly against the wizard’s. The only thing that kept Xellos from killing the princess on the spot was his master’s obvious dislike for the attention.

 

Finally, Zelgadis was able to push her off. “Amelia?!”

 

She pouted. “Aw, it didn’t work.”

 

“ _What_ didn’t work?”

 

“I thought I could cure you with a kiss!”

 

Zelgadis flushed and grumbled, “If it worked like that, someone else would’ve done it by now…”

 

“Eh?”

 

“Nothing, Amelia.” He flushed, obviously mortified. “Can you get off now? Please?”

 

“Oh, sure! Sorry!”

 

As soon as he was released, both Xellos and Amelia moved out of the way as Zelgadis rushed upstairs to lock himself in their bedroom.

 

Xellos pouted. “That was fairly melodramatic.”

 

“Is he okay?” the princess asked with some concern.

 

He nodded. “I’m afraid your… amorous attentions are a bit too much for him, Amelia-san. Zelgadis-san is so shy.”

 

“Aw… Maybe I should go home for today.”

 

“That would probably be best,” Xellos told her seriously, placing a hand on her shoulder as though to comfort her.

 

He really didn’t mind Amelia all that much, it was true. But he was certainly glad to have her out of his hair for the afternoon. Xellos saw her out and went upstairs to check on Zelgadis.

 

“Master?” he asked softly through the locked door.

 

“Go away,” was the muffled reply.

 

“Amelia-san has returned to the palace. It’s safe to come out.”

 

“I’m never leaving this room again.”

 

Xellos couldn’t hold back a smile. “Now that’s fairly silly, master. Open the door and I’ll fix your coffee, start on dinner…”

 

“Not hungry.” There was a short pause. “So much for your claim that she's interested in how I look.”

 

“I like how you look.”

 

A muffled snort was the only reply he got for that, though it wasn’t unexpected.

 

“You can’t hide in there forever,” Xellos said as reasonably as he could.

 

“I can and I will.”

 

“How will we make any money? And where shall I sleep?”

 

There was a long pause before stone feet crept across wood floor and the lock on the door was turned. The door slid open a few inches, enough for Zelgadis to see him.

 

“Where _have_ you been sleeping?” the wizard asked suspiciously.

 

Xellos smiled. “On the floor by your bed.”

 

Zelgadis’ eyes widened and the door opened further. “What? Why?”

 

Not sure how to answer that without revealing too much, Xellos shrugged. “Does it matter?”

 

Suddenly the chain was yanked. Xellos was pulled forward roughly and the door slammed shut behind him, an arm curling supportively around his waist to keep the demon from toppling over.

 

“Why?” Zelgadis demanded in an irregular voice, breathing against Xellos’ shoulder. His face, so close, was lined with tension and uncertainty.

 

Resisting was hard with that firm body pressed against his, but Xellos was nothing if not patient. One wrong move on his end could ruin all his fine work, so he had to play this carefully. “The bed isn’t very big.”

 

It wasn’t, but it wasn’t small either. The two of them could fit on it together if they were to share. Surely Zelgadis had realized after a week that they hadn’t been sharing.

 

“Didn’t know demons slept,” Zelgadis mumbled.

 

Xellos smiled. “We do. We just don’t dream.”

 

“Oh.” Zelgadis blushed and pulled away quickly as though Xellos had burned him. “Um, you can take the bed tonight. I’ll sleep on the floor. Doesn’t make any difference with my body the way it is.”

 

Xellos sat on the edge of the bed thoughtfully. “Or we could share.”

 

The chimera wizard flushed brightly, embarrassed but also visibly tempted. “No. Not—Not yet.”

 

Xellos nodded. “Come, master. Let me fix you something to eat.”

 

His master nodded and finally let himself be led downstairs in a seemingly dazed state. He seemed a bit more alert once he was fed, and within the hour he was a bit more like his usual sarcastic, blasé self.

 

Xellos took the bed that night, though instead of sleeping, he spent most of the night breathing in the wizard’s scent in the sheets. He would periodically peek over the side of the bed and watch the way Zelgadis’ wire hair glistened in the moonlight, feeling that stirring in his heart.

 

He felt himself changing as he grew ever fonder of this young man, but he did not mind, not really. In the end he felt it would be worth it.

 

-

 

In between fending off Amelia’s enthusiastic overtures, avoiding his promise to Xellos, and researching for his cure, Zelgadis still had to earn money. Being so well known at the court brought him a respectable line of clientele. Recently these jobs, which had always been relatively innocuous, if troublesome, went by much more smoothly now that he had the assistance of a familiar.

 

Of course, this meant that he had to put up with Xellos’ presence all the more.

 

Sometimes this worked out fine, as Xellos was more intuitive over some things than he was. Xellos gossiped with the old ladies and played with the children. Zelgadis had watched with amusement as the little ones had ridden the demon around his home like a pack animal. For an evil being, Xellos was surprisingly good with kids.

 

Sometimes, like tonight, it was uncomfortable.

 

Xellos took one whiff of the paint and blinked. “I expected it to smell more like dung.”

 

Zelgadis, dressed down to only a pair of pants, looked up from his stirring. The chemicals in the paint needed to be very precise. “Why would you think that?”

 

“Because it’s so black and gooey looking.”

 

The wizard made a face. “That’s how it’s supposed to look.”

 

“And I suppose it’s supposed to smell like roses?” his familiar asked archly.

 

“Just get over here and help me with this!”

 

Xellos all but skipped over to his work station. “I am at your service, as always.”

                                                                                                    

Zel twitched and handed him the paint brush. “Since you’re here, there’s no reason I have to paint myself anymore. Do the symbols like they are in the book, okay?”

 

He handed the book to Xellos, and his priestly familiar looked the tome over carefully, nibbling on the end of a clean paintbrush. “It looks easy enough.”

 

Zelgadis pointedly did not look at the nibbling. “Well, get started. We need to be at the festival in only an hour.”

 

Xellos dipped the brush into the small jar of dark paint and kneeled behind his master. “What ceremony is this for again?”

 

Embarrassed, Zelgadis mumbled lowly, not wanting Xellos to know.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Vrghny…”

 

“Master?”

 

“Fertility!”

 

Xellos giggled, swirling the brush in patterns over Zelgadis’ back. “Oh my.”

 

“Just shut up and work.”

 

“Yes, yes…”

 

The paint went on his skin cool, but not uncomfortably so, and Xellos’ painting was slow, rhythmic, and relaxing.

 

Until he finished with Zel’s back and started work on the front. The wizard’s eyes had started to flutter sleepily, but was immediately jolted from his restfulness when Xellos shifted to his front, kneeling between his legs. He looked into gleaming violet eyes in shock.

 

“Yes, master?” Xellos asked impishly, working the paintbrush in circles on his chest.

 

It felt much better than when Zelgadis did it himself. He wasn’t sure why. “Uh, nothing.”

 

Xellos hummed and continued to work. “Are you sure?”

 

“Uh,” Zelgadis said, trying not to whimper as the brush traveled down his abdomen and circled his navel.

 

Xellos leaned in and blew gently over his work, on the pretense of helping it dry, but it just made him shiver. “That doesn’t sound, or look, like you’re entirely positive.”

 

Zelgadis stared down into gleaming eyes, slack-jawed. He’d never gotten nearly this far with anyone, had never been touched the way he was now, but he suddenly wondered what would happened. He allowed himself to actually think about fulfilling his promise to Xellos and not just push it into the back of his mind.

 

Xellos seemed to know what he was thinking, because he suddenly surged up and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.

 

Weeks of teasing and frustration culminated at once in a rush. In relief, Zelgadis pulled his familiar closer. Xellos mewled happily, seemingly pleased with this.

 

When they parted for breath, Xellos was beaming radiantly, very smug. “Oh dear, Master. You smudged them. I'll have to wash them off and repaint them...”

 

Zelgadis growled and picked the demon’s soft body up easily. “I think you'll be needing to do me another kind of service now, Xellos...”

 

“Yay!” Xellos blushed faintly. “I mean… Of course, master.”

 

Zelgadis felt better knowing he wasn’t the only one flustered.

 

-

 

The following weeks were what the wizard could only describe as blissful. With his familiar he found a warm lover, and in Xellos’ eyes he thought he saw, if not love, then a certain amount of fondness. Zelgadis decided that after a lifetime of cold betrayal and abandonment, he did not mind it.

 

Xellos’ body was soft and warm, and all too enticing to lay beneath his on the bed. Or the floor. Or the kitchen table.

 

Xellos, of course, had to obey his every whim. If he wanted the demon died to the bedpost or covered in whipped cream, then Xellos had to do it. (And hadn’t both of those occasions been entertaining!)

 

Of course it didn’t last forever.

 

Word reached him that a certain red priest had returned to Seyruun and Zelgadis went to meet him, tugging Xellos along.

 

“Ah, wait! Zelgadis-san!” Xellos complained, trying to break the hold Zel had on his wrist. “That hurts! I want you to touch me gently…”

 

Zelgadis blushed and felt a little guilty for hurting him. If he really did. Xellos sometimes said the same things during sex and he was usually joking. Usually. “He’s here. The one who did this to me. We’re going to fight him.”

 

Xellos pouted. “You could have at least given me some information on his familiar first. It’s imprudent to go into a wizard’s duel unprepared.”

 

“Well, his name is—”

 

They turned a corner, Zelgadis still tugging on Xellos’ arm, and came face to face with the man who had haunted his every waking moment since he’d been cursed.

 

Rezo. His grandfather. The person he had trusted, the man he would have done anything for, the first one he’d—

 

“You bastard!” Zelgadis raged, seeing red, and not just in Rezo’s robes.

 

Rezo looked mildly scandalized, and the younger wizard realized belated that Rezo had been talking to a group of children.

 

“Uh…”

 

“Really, Zelgadis,” Rezo murmured reprovingly before turning back to the children and offering them a handful of candy.

 

For some reason, this sent Xellos into a fit of giggles.

 

Zelgadis tugged on his chain angrily. “Be serious.”

 

“Sorry, it’s just…” The giggles hiccupped to an abrupt stop as Xellos caught sight of Zelgadis’ familiar. “Ah. I don’t suppose that that’s…”

 

“Hm?”

 

Gaav, Rezo’s familiar, smirked and waved. “Hi, runt. Long time no see.”

 

Xellos looked distinctly pale, and he cursed for the first time that Zel had ever heard. “Oh, shit.”

 

Zelgadis blinked. “You know him?”

 

Xellos’ head and voice lowered. “There are few in my world that do not know him. That, my dear, is an extremely powerful demon.”

 

Considering how egotistical Xellos was, Zelgadis knew that he wasn’t calling someone else “powerful” lightly. He gulped.

 

“You still intend to do this?”

 

Zelgadis forced a nod. “Yes.”

 

Xellos’ smile was as sharp as a knife. “Very well then.”

 

The fight wasn’t long, but during it felt like forever. The wizards’ duel was done through their familiars alone. As fast as Zelgadis was in his chimeric body, he wasn’t as fast as Xellos and Gaav proved to be. They darted around the village square, too fast to follow all the time, often disappearing from this plane of reality entirely, only to return because of their connections to their masters. The chain attached to Xellos’ neck, and the one around Gaav’s thick waist, clanked loudly on the broken cobblestones beneath them. Zelgadis could not focus on the damage on the city, not until after it was over. As Xellos struggled not for Zel’s quest, but for his life, the wizard forgot for a moment why they were doing this.

 

He just hoped that Xellos would live.

 

He was frustrating, annoying bastard, but Xellos was _his_ frustrating, annoying bastard.

 

Zelgadis held his breath through most of the fight, only letting it out when it was over—and Xellos, a little scraped up and smoking, was the victor. Relief washed over him, nearly paralyzing, until he brought his mind to focus again.

 

He’d won. Won!

 

He walked over to claim his familiar, keeping Xellos upright as he faced his grandfather. “Tell me,” Zel demanded harshly. “Tell me how to restore myself!”

 

Rezo seemed unconcerned with his failure. He focused on Gaav, healing what would have been a fatal wound, restoring his familiar to perfect health. “Hm? Oh, you’re still on that?”

 

“YES!”

 

“Are you sure you want to know?” Rezo asked, finally looking at his grandson. “Are you ready for the consequences?”

 

“Yes!” Zelgadis answered, though he wasn’t. It couldn’t possibly be worse than what he’d already gone through.

 

But it was.

 

Rezo shrugged. “I don’t know how to make you human again.”

 

Zelgadis stared. It was like being told that God didn’t know how part the seas. Rezo was more than a magical genius, and to be told that _he didn’t know…_

 

“Well, we’ll be on our way then,” Rezo said, addressing Xellos now. “You should probably get him off the streets.”

 

Xellos nodded and pulled Zelgadis away just before the Seyruun soldiers appeared.

 

Zelgadis was in such a shock that he didn’t make it easy on the demon. It was about halfway home that he stopped entirely and began to scream, the rage and the loss of hope welling up inside, needing release.

 

He didn’t remember much after that, not until Xellos got him into bed. The familiar had removed their clothes and began kissing Zelgadis with a sort of focused intent that the wizard hadn’t seen in his playful demon before.

 

“Wait,” Zelgadis managed, struggling.

 

Xellos shushed him gently, holding him close as he touched him, and Zelgadis gave in. He felt so cold, and he clung to Xellos’ warmth like an anchor.

 

-

 

The next morning dawned just as normally as every other morning, but Xellos knew that it would not seem that way for his master. He was prepared to coddle and pamper the wizard that day, and to not tease him too much.

 

Zelgadis was sitting up in bed when he returned with breakfast, staring moodily out the window when he spoke.

 

“You’re released from the contract.”

 

“What?” Xellos barely got out, and he watched with suppressed horror as the chain connecting them evaporated. The collar around his neck and the bracelet on Zel’s wrist were gone next. “Zelgadis-san!”

 

“Go,” the wizard said, softly, still not looking at him. “You’re free. Do what you want.”

 

“But, why?” Xellos asked.

 

Zelgadis shrugged. “I’m trapped like this. I don’t want to do that to anyone else.”

 

“But I—”

 

“Go!” his former master snarled.

 

Frowning, Xellos sat the breakfast tray down and left Zelgadis to his moodiness. He borrowed another cloak and left the house.

 

The wizard was still upset and needed time to himself, it seemed. Xellos also needed time to lick his wounds over the connection between them being severed so abruptly.

 

They both needed time. In the meantime…

 

… He was going shopping.

 

-

 

Zelgadis knew it was a mistake the moment Xellos left. He almost ran after him, if only he hadn’t felt so ashamed of himself. He was hurting and wallowing, and had sent away the one grace in his life so far.

 

Maybe Xellos was only a demon. But he had been his. Now he was gone, and Zel was alone again.

 

He had seen the thinly veiled hurt and outrage on Xellos’ face. He though there could be no way that the demon would return. So when his bedroom door opened and the demon returned, hours later, he was very shocked.

 

“Xellos?”

 

Xellos smiled thinly. “Was that what humans called ‘let go of what you love, and if it truly belongs to you, it’ll come back to you?’ If so, it was highly annoying.”

 

“I know,” Zel agreed quickly. “I overreacted.”

 

“You shouldn’t give up just because one man says it’s impossible.”

 

Zelgadis sighed, nodding. “I know that. It’s just… I thought it would be over.”

 

Xellos smiled. “Life is rarely that easy. But we’ll make do.”

 

“We?”

 

“If you like.”

 

The demon grinned and pulled his shirt open. Zelgadis saw that around the demon’s neck was a new collar. A purple collar. A _sparkly_ purple collar.

 

Xellos giggled with impish delight as Zel’s jaw hung open. “Isn’t it great? I got it at Lina-san’s.”

 

“You did WHAT?!”

 

“Yes. She seemed quite amused by it.”

 

The wizard groaned and pressed his face against the pillow. “Damn it, Xellos… You’re lucky you make good coffee…”

 

“I also got this,” Xellos added, and Zel looked back in time to see him pull a small statuette out of his clothing.

 

Zelgadis gaped. “The maiden statue I wanted!”

 

“Yes. This will surely help you, at least in some way.”

 

He held the statue like something precious. Xellos had returned, and had managed to barter with Lina for the magical object he needed, and gave it to him readily. In that moment, he felt it was more than he deserved, and not just for kicking Xellos out.

 

“I…”

 

Fingers pressed to his lips. “Shh. Apologize with your body, not your words.”

 

Zelgadis blushed and smirked, taking the hint and pulling the demon back into bed.

 

He would continue searching, but whether he found his cure or not was irrelevant. He had something more important, and he wasn’t going to let it go again.

 

~ End. Thanks for reading! ~


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